2017

Senator Claire McCaskill often makes statements about the importance of our immigrant neighbors, and she has spoken in support of DACA, DREAMers and against senseless enforcement spending. Now is the time for the Senator to become a champion for these causes that so directly impact her community. In order to both support her and encourage her leadership, IFCLA organized a pray-in at her office on Delmar. At this action, clergy, community members, and DACA recipients came together to share their stories, name our values, and ask for the Senator’s leadership. Those present offered petitions, songs, and prayers, while DACA individuals led us in chanting and shared their testimonies. At the culmination of this action, the DACAmented leaders delivered an artistic creation that resembled a candle, which held many smaller representations of candles bearing words of community members encouraging Sen. McCaskill to deepen her support of immigrant justice. These included such messages as: “We are counting on you to support DACA and the people it protects!” “Stop deportation” “Keep families together” “Fight for the dignity of all—including all immigrants regardless of status!

We are counting on Sen. McCaskill to make our voices and our values heard in DC. As the top-ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, we need her voice to #DefundHate by rejecting President Trump’s proposed increases to Department of Homeland Security budget for more deportations, arrests, and separation of families.

We will continue to work with all elected officials to ensure our values are their priority.